Drag racing strategies

The burnout

When approaching the starting line (also known as the staging area), most racers will perform a "Burnout (vehicle)" burnout − that is, apply water to the driven tires either by backing into a small puddle (the "bleach box" or "water box") or having it sprayed on. The car then exits the water and does a burnout to heat the tires, making them even stickier. Some cars utilize a solenoid valve (which can be toggled on and off) called a "line-lock", which is mandatory in many classes. In rear wheel drive operation: the brake pedal is depressed, the line lock is activated, the brake pedal is released & as long as the line lock is depressed brake pressure will remain in only the front brake calipers. This allows the car to remain stationary without burning up the rear brake pads while doing a burnout. Cars in street classes (which must be street legal) are the only exception to this pre-race ritual, as the grooved tires tend to retain some of the water

Staging

After the burnout comes staging, where the cars pull up to the starting line. Each lane has its own string of lights on the “Christmas tree,” with two small orange lights on top. These are the prestaged and staged lights. The two cars will slowly creep forward until the first (pre-staged) orange light is lit. This means they are very close to the actual starting line (a mere 7 in (18 cm)). Then the cars will nudge forward until the second (staged) light is lit. This indicates they are at the starting line, this is the point where the driver will apply the line-lock to prevent the car from rolling while she/he uses the clutch and gas pedals. When both cars have lit both bulbs, the starter will engage the Christmas tree. If the racer moves too far the top bulb will go out and the driver is said to have deep-staged. While some drivers prefer this technique, some tracks and classes prohibit it. An advantage can be had, by deep-staging, in gaining a quicker reaction time (RT) but at the expense of the elapsed time (ET) and MPH achieved at the top end of the track; there is also a higher risk of "red-lighting." A loose etiquette is followed when staging. The driver to illuminate the first light will wait for the second car to light both bulbs before advancing to the staged light.

The race

Several things are important on the way down the track in drag racing. The first is not to cross into the opponent's lane, as this will result in disqualification. In case of a double disqualification in which one driver commits a foul start and the second driver crosses into his opponent's lane, the driver who committed the foul start wins. Another important consideration is when to shift gears. Most drag cars are shifted manually by the driver, and there are optimum times for shifting that vary with each car. Typically, power will increase as the engine RPMs (revolutions per minute) increase, but only up to a point before power begins to taper off. The ideal time to shift is when the descending power curve for the lower gear crosses the ascending power curve for the higher gear. Most drag racers use a tachometer to judge shift points. In Fuel classes especially, "pedalling" the car (adjusting the throttle) to prevent loss of traction is often important and one measure of how good a driver is.

Strategies for crossing the finish line usually only involve bracket racing (see above). If one car has a huge lead, it may slow down before crossing the finish line to prevent a breakout. Especially in bracket racing, it is not uncommon to see the leading vehicle's brake lights come on briefly before the finish line. The term "sandbagging" is used in races where the driver in a bracket race puts a slower "dial in" (the predicted E.T.) that he/she could run and then at the finish line tap the brakes lightly or lift of the gas pedal (also known as pedalling) to reduce the E.T. to run as close as possible to the dial in.

If both cars break out, the car closer to their dial-in wins. In NHRA Junior Dragster racing, however, there is a mimimum elapsed time, quicker than the official break-out elapsed time; a car which posts a lower time is ejected from the event.